No wrong answer to the question. For me, it's always been AE's.
Alden or Allen Edmonds?
- Thread starter djmike523
- Start date
I'd give them both a miss and go for the better English shoemakers ...
same here, if there were any English shoemakers available where I live. I'd love to own a pair of Gaziano & Girling, John Lobb, Edward Green, Alfred Sargent or Crockett & Jones.
If you are within driving distance of a Brooks Brothers, you are within distance of Alfred Sargent and Crocket & Jones shoes ... called "Peal & Co."
Otherwise ... hie thee to the internet.
Unless things have changed at virtually all of the high-end English manufacturers, if you don't wear a D or E/E+ width (or a C in rare cases) you are out of luck, since they don't offer a full range of sizes, unless you go to a bespoke cobbler, have a last made, and then pay upwards of $1000 or more. I wear a 12AA or AAA, or a 12 2A/4A on a combo last, and there are only three manufacturers left that I can buy a shoe from that will fit: Alden, AE, or J&M (the Aldridge has always been a favorite, although it's not nearly as well made as it was 25 years ago). Have you been professionally fitted? If you are buying high end shoes and haven't been properly fitted, you are throwing your money away. Lastly, the J&M Custom Selects are very nice, the only drawback being that they retail at $375-$425. Frankly, I don't care for the leather finish on most English made shoes, so I'll stick to the U.S. makers.
I wear both and must give Alden the nod generally speaking. I think the build quality and materials are a bit nicer. Fit depends on the last and style of the shoe. As far as foreign shoes go, you have to be aware that the length converts easily but the width is a bit tricky for both English and continental shoes. Best if you can try foreign shoes on if they were not built to US sizing. I try to buy American as much as I can and you really can't go wrong with either one.
In my own shoe collection I have 3 pairs of Allen Edmonds, 1 pair of the Indian made Florsheim Imperials (it was a steal on E-bay, $90 for a brand new pair which is of reasonable construction and decent leather), 2 pairs of English-made Church's from their City Line (which I rather fancy though one day I will get a pair of their Consuls in ebony), 1 pair of Loake 1880s (which are English-made and comparable to Allen Edmonds in quality and price), 1 pair of English-made Barker shoes, and 2 pairs from Herring Shoes (who use some of the English companies to manufacture their shoes, if ordering English shoes then I'd go online to their website). I lived in the UK so I have no problem with converting back and forth, my 11.5D US size is a UK 11F generally but I know it can be tricky if you don't have access to shoes to try.
I have 0 Aldens mostly because their styles don't appeal to me at the price point they're at but they do look like quality shoes. I just happen to prefer AE if I want American-made shoes but I generally prefer English-made shoes and their styles are ones which I favour greatly. AE are my go-to daily shoes when I teach in a sports jacket, tie, and chinos. The walnut Strands are my favourites (I own one pair) but their black Strands and black Park Avenues would be a great go to for interviews, I think. I'd definitely buy more AE shoes should I have the need but then I also know which lasts work for me and I also take advantage of sales or their Shoe Bank (seconds).
I have 0 Aldens mostly because their styles don't appeal to me at the price point they're at but they do look like quality shoes. I just happen to prefer AE if I want American-made shoes but I generally prefer English-made shoes and their styles are ones which I favour greatly. AE are my go-to daily shoes when I teach in a sports jacket, tie, and chinos. The walnut Strands are my favourites (I own one pair) but their black Strands and black Park Avenues would be a great go to for interviews, I think. I'd definitely buy more AE shoes should I have the need but then I also know which lasts work for me and I also take advantage of sales or their Shoe Bank (seconds).
+1. I have about 8 pair of AE and 3 pair of Aldens. My Aldens are better made my AE's. I won't buy AE's any more. And then if you are really feeling flush and want even better shoes start buying G&G, Lobb, EG, Vass, Fosters, Cleverly etc.
A note about the Aldens. From another forum the price is increasing about 8% for 2012. I think this is due to the demand for the shell cordovan shoes. Trying to find Whiskey, Cigar, and Ravello is difficult even with the extremely high price. They sell out almost immediately.
Ditto!!
Alden. Horween shell cordovan. Nuff said.
I'm pretty much in agreement with byscott.
So far I've only bought AE because I can actually find a pair to try on. I don't like to waste money shipping shoes back and forth, so unless Zappos starts carrying Alden, it might be a while before I try some.
Both Allen Edmonds and Alden make fine shoes. I own one pair of Aldens and five pairs of Allen Edmonds. You can't go wrong with either. Keep the shoes polished, rotate your shoes, and replace the heels and soles when its time. They will last you for years. I killed a pair of Allen Edmond shoes when I wore them to work everyday for a year. I now own about 20 pairs of shoes. I will not have that problem anytime soon. Oh, and keep cedar shoe trees in the shoes. It will help them keep their shape.
Steve
Steve
+1 on this. The better shoes from either AE or Alden will last the rest of your natural life if you wear them occasionally -- and I never wear a particular pair more than occasionally -- and take care of them. I have a couple of pairs of Aldens I inherited from my father, who bought them sometime in the '70s. I won't wear them out. I have a half dozen pairs of AE shoes and they are terrific, and a real value for what you get. I have several pairs of English shoes -- handmades from Church, C&J and Loakes -- and find them slightly better in workmanship than either of the U.S. brands, very slightly, but then they cost considerably more, too. Day in and day out, it's hard to beat Allen Edmonds for price/quality.
I vote Alden for boots and Allen Edmonds for shoes. I don't find any of the AE boots visually appealing, and almost every Alden boot is absolutely awesome (with cool leathers too!). In my opinion, the shoe offerings from both brands are fairly similar regarding construction and quality (with quality control leaning slightly towards AE). The reason I go to AE for shoes is because I have personally found that the service from the company itself is head and shoulders above that of Alden. I have found with Alden it is important to purchase your shoes and boots from an excellent store to get the best service. For example, I usually only purchase Aldens from Alden of Carmel because I know that Adam is tops in customer service and is a very effective liaison between me and Alden. With AE I can be less careful where I shop because if I have any issues I can contact AE directly and expect my issue resolved quickly and to my satisfaction. It is the same reason that I buy Apple products. The ease of going to the Apple Store should anything go wrong trumps my want for any technical benefits from purchasing at other companies.
FWIW, there are a whole bunch of 11D AE's on ebay right now.
Both are fine, ditto to what has been said above. I do like Allen Edmonds boots and have 3 pairs. Ordering from them is great, very easy. If you have a wider or narrower width it can take a while to get the shoes, as it seems they must make them to order (which is kind of nice). I have 1 pair of Peal & Co., opera pumps, and they are narrow echoing advice from above. I'm always tempted to buy from Lobb when I'm in New York or Europe but haven't made the plunge. Seems as though you'd want to have them made for you rather than OTR and the $$$ involved puts me off.
Alden. I have 4 pair. The AEs never fit right and always went back.
But I'm pretty lucky--I have the Alden store only 30 min from my house.
But I'm pretty lucky--I have the Alden store only 30 min from my house.
